FEATURES

Ermanno Olmi, one of the last film directors of the golden age of Italian cinema, has died at the age of 86.
Olmi was considered the last author of neorealism for his attention on the lives of poor people and the use of non-professional actors. He was defined the prophetic poet of humble and weak people, the voice of marginalised existences. His greatest success was in 1978 The Tree of Wooden Clogs which won the top award at Cannes. The film was acclaimed as the last great work of Italian neo-realism.

The 57th edition of Salone del mobile di Milano showcased the new trends in furniture design, at Fiera Milano, Rho, from 17th to 22nd April.
The Italian most famous furniture exhibition recorded 434,509 attendees, in 6 days, from 188 different countries. That is a 17% increase compared to the 2016 edition, which last featured the biennial kitchen and bathroom exhibitions, and an increase of 26% compared with the 2017 edition. 1,841 exhibitors, 27% of them from 33 other countries, showcased their products at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile.

Not only Parma is famous for its ham and parmigiano cheese and its valuable historical heritage, but also for its ability to plan cultural activities which is the reason for it being awarded the title of Italian capital of culture 2020.
The jury defined Parma "a virtuous and extremely high-quality example of local culturally based planning". Parma beat off competition from fellow finalists Agrigento, Bitonto, Casale Monferrato, Macerata, Merano, Nuoro, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Treviso.

After many years of predominance of the 70’s. The 80’s have made a comeback this year. The extravagance of those years is reflected in the new look proposed on the catwalk. Skinny trousers in gold and silver have been the protagonists of the Genny Official collection. Cuissardes boots accompanied by A-line dresses and also shiny silk blouses with big ribbons to the neck, and corolla sleeves, were big hits on the catwalk, together with sporty suits such as the ones proposed in silver by Bluemarine.

Micam, Europe’s biggest footwear trade show in Milan has just concluded. The world-famous event is a showcase where companies meet buyers from all over the world, launch their new products, establish or consolidate business relations, and fine-tune their global marketing strategies. The world’s most important international footwear show, closed its 85th edition at Fiera Milano (Rho) with 44,227 visitors, 60% of whom came from abroad.

Italy can be proud of its bestselling mysterious author, writing under the name of Elena Ferrante, who now has a newspaper column in "The Guardian”, translated in English by her regular collaborator Ann Goldstein.
In 2016, Ferrante was named one of the world’s most influential people by Time magazine and in 2017 she was one of the highest-earning novelist in the UK.
Ferrante, whose real identity is still a mystery, despite an investigation claiming last year that she is the Rome-based writer Anita Raja, information that has never been confirmed, stated that her anonymity was important to her work and freed herself from the anxiety of notoriety. She also said she wanted to shield the Neapolitan community from which she drew her inspiration.

Fake news has become an increasingly worrying phenomenon in Italy. Not only bogus reports appear daily on social media but also in newspapers, mostly as a result of journalists’ failure to check sources.
To crack down on this emergency, the Italian government has launched an online service where people can report what they think might be fake news via a “red button” system on the website of Italy’s postal police, the division that tackles online crime.

The legendary chef, Gualtiero Marchesi, died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 87, in Milan, his native city.
Milan is going to dedicate a street to the famous chef who was the first Italian to gain three Michelin stars, in 1985. In his first restaurant, located on the central Via Bonvesin de la Riva in Milan, Marchesi invented his famous saffron rice with edible gold leaves and “Open Ravioli,” that features ravioli filling used as a condiment for pasta. He also created the “Fish Dripping,” a fish dish inspired by Jackson Pollock’s drip-style painting technique.

According to a recent study on the Italian companies with the highest turnover in the period 2016-2015 carried out by “Medio Banca”, large and medium size Italian companies resist to foreign competition in 5 sectors out of six, but foreign groups are gaining ground